1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paint roller tray, and more particularly, to a system and method for automatically dispensing paint into a paint roller tray.
2. Description of Related Art
One of the most painstaking chores that each and every homeowner faces is the chore of house painting. Not only is the painting of one""s house time consuming, but it has a reputation for being an extremely messy job. To complete this job most homeowners (as well as professionals) utilize a paint roller. A paint roller is a paint application device comprising a handle and a cylindrically absorbent tube. The absorbent tube is attached to the handle in a manner that allows the absorbent tube to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the handle. A paint roller is a commonly used application device because it allows a painter to apply a uniform layer of paint to a particular surface in a relatively short period of time.
A paint roller is designed to be used together with a paint tray. A traditional paint tray is a vessel that usually slopes downward, forming a lower, paint reservoir area, and an upper, shallow surface area. The paint reservoir area is where the available paint for the paint roller resides. When additional paint is needed on the paint roller, the absorbent end of the paint roller is rolled through the paint reservoir. The shallow surface area, which usually slopes away from the paint reservoir area, provides a surface above the reservoir paint line where excess paint can be removed from the paint roller. The paint roller is rolled over this shallow surface in an effort to squeeze out any excess paint from the paint roller.
Although a traditional paint tray provides a paint reservoir, this reservoir is initially empty, thus requiring a painter to add paint before the paint tray can be used together with the paint roller. Paint is usually provided to consumers in an industry standard one-gallon paint can. The pouring of the paint from a one-gallon paint can into a paint reservoir can be a very messy process. The paint will have a tendency to drip and splatter if the one-gallon paint can is tilted too rapidly, too leisurely, or from too high of an elevation. Returning the one-gallon paint can too slowly to its upright position can also cause the paint to drip. Even if one has managed to successfully pour the paint into the paint reservoir without any dripping or splattering, some excess paint will end up residing in the lid-groove on top of the one-gallon paint can, whereas such excess paint could splatter upon the forceful reattachment of the paint lid.
Not only is the paint pouring process messy, but it is also time consuming. That is because paint must constantly be added to the paint reservoir to maintain a paint source for the paint roller. As paint is taken out of the paint tray reservoir, via the paint roller, the paint level of the paint reservoir will decrease. Once the paint in the paint reservoir is depleted, the painter must set down the roller, retrieve the one-gallon paint can, and pour additional paint into the paint reservoir. This messy, time consuming process of adding paint to the paint reservoir ultimately discourages consumers from using a paint roller/tray combination.
There have been attempts to redesign paint trays to eliminate the problems discussed above. One such attempt involved affixing a paint tray directly to the top of an open can of paint, which allowed the user to pick up the tray/can combination and transfer the paint from the can to the tray by tilting the whole assembly on its side until the proper amount of paint resided in the paint reservoir. Another attempt involved attaching flexible bags of paint to a paint tray via a hose or tube, which allowed the user to transfer paint into the paint reservoir by manually lift the bags of paint to an elevation higher than the paint tray. However, designs like these still require manual intervention to add paint to the paint reservoir. They also require the painter to pour the paint from the original one-gallon paint can into a special can or bag that can be attached to the paint tray.
A need exists in the industry, and it would be very desirable, to have a system and method for automatically dispensing paint from an industry standard paint container into a paint roller tray.
The present invention provides a system and method for automatically dispensing paint from an industry standard paint container to maintain a given level of paint in a paint roller tray. More particularly, the invention provides an upwardly open vessel, housing a valve actuator, that comes into contact with a dispensing lid to release paint from an industry standard paint container.
In an embodiment of the invention, the upwardly open vessel includes a lower surface and a plurality of walls extending upward from the lower surface. The lower surface is further divided into a lower, paint reservoir surface and an upper, shallow surface. The paint reservoir surface is a substantially horizontal surface defining the lowest interior fluid point of the upwardly open vessel. The shallow surface is an angled surface, sloping away from the paint reservoir surface. When paint is added to the upwardly open vessel, it initially collects over the paint reservoir surface, creating a reservoir of available paint. When additional paint is needed on the paint roller, the absorbent end of the paint roller is rolled through the reservoir of available paint. The shallow surface, which slopes away from the paint reservoir surface, provides a surface above the reservoir paint line where the paint roller can be rolled to squeeze out any excess paint from the paint roller.
The upward open vessel further contains an elevated surface over the paint reservoir surface, which is supported by at least one of the plurality of walls. The elevated surface is located near the valve actuator and provides a platform that supports the dispensing lid in an inverted position. The dispensing lid, which can be attached to an industry standard paint container, includes a valve. When the dispensing lid is placed upon the elevated surface, the valve actuator comes into contact with the valve in the dispensing lid, allowing paint to flow from the industry standard paint container, through the valve in the dispensing lid, and into the upwardly open vessel.
The valve in the dispensing lid further comprises a fluid opening, a sealing flap, a pivotal arm, an axial structure, and a biasing spring. A first end of the pivotal arm is attached to the axial structure, allowing a second end of the pivotal arm to swing toward the fluid opening. The second end of the pivotal arm, which is attached to the sealing flap, is biased toward the fluid opening through the biasing spring. When the valve actuator presses against the sealing flap, the sealing flap and the second end of the pivoting arm are retracted away from the fluid opening. By retracting the sealing flap away from the fluid opening, paint from the industry standard paint container can flow through the fluid opening into the upwardly open vessel.
The dispensing lid further includes an inner spring-like flange. The inner spring-like flange allows the dispensing lid to be attached to an industry standard container of paint. The container most commonly used by the paint industry to store paint is a one-gallon paint can. The one-gallon paint can further includes a paint can and a paint lid. The paint lid has a spring-like flange that is designed to mate with an upper-oriented groove in the paint can. By applying downward pressure to the paint lid, the spring-like flange seats within the upper-oriented groove in the paint can, causing a seal between the two components. The inner spring-like flange on the dispensing lid acts in the same manner as the spring-like flange found on the paint lid, thus allowing the dispensing lid to replace the paint lid traditionally attached to the one-gallon paint can. Once the dispensing lid is placed upon the one-gallon paint can, the one-gallon paint can and the dispensing lid can be inverted and placed upon the upwardly open vessel.
The lid structure further includes an alignment flange and an alignment tube. The alignment flange is designed to be slightly larger than the elevated surface and the alignment tube is designed to be slightly larger than the valve actuator. The dispensing lid, attached to the one-gallon paint can, is guided onto the upwardly open vessel through the aid of the alignment tube and the alignment flange. The alignment tube is first guided over the valve actuator, allowing the dispensing lid to be fully lowered onto the elevated surface. The dispensing lid can be properly aligned on the elevated surface through the aid of the outer alignment flange, which surrounds the elevated surface and help maintain the one-gallon paint can in an upright position.
When the dispensing lid is placed on the upwardly open vessel, the valve actuator comes into contact with the sealing flap. This contact pushes the sealing flap and the second end of the pivotal arm away from the fluid opening, thus allowing paint to flow from the one-gallon paint can, down over the valve actuator, onto the paint reservoir surface. Gravity will continue to allow paint to flow in this manner until the paint level over the paint reservoir surface raises to the lowest point of the paint contained in the alignment tube. As paint is removed from the paint tray system, via the paint roller, gravity will maintain the level of paint over the paint reservoir surface equal to the lowest point of paint contained in the alignment tube. When the dispensing lid and one-gallon paint can are removed from the upwardly open vessel, the biasing spring will return the sealing flap and the second end of the pivotal arm to their original positions over the fluid opening, thus preventing any additional paint from dripping out of the one-gallon paint can.
A more complete understanding of the paint roller tray system and method will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages and objects thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings which will first be described briefly.